US-based manufacturer of premium metal powders and alloy additions 6K Additive has been awarded a roughly $2 million Phase II contract, running 18 months, to recover and repurpose discarded metals from U.S. military depots. The targeted materials, nickel, titanium, tungsten, and niobium, share a common thread: each is either partly or entirely sourced from abroad.
China accounts for the vast majority of global tungsten supply, niobium arrives almost exclusively from Brazil and Canada, and federal commerce officials have already identified titanium imports as a potential national security liability.
Rather than opening new extraction operations, the program looks inward, converting scrap and spent components generated at existing military sites into high-grade powders for use in advanced manufacturing.
From Yards to Certified Feedstock
Aviation maintenance depots alone shed upwards of 60,000 pounds of mixed metal scrap every week. Under this initiative, that material becomes a starting point. The work involves collecting discarded parts and machining waste from Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) facilities, then running it through a multi-stage process that produces finely calibrated spherical powders ready for use in defense-grade applications.
The company’s processing approach rests on three proprietary capabilities: a method for reducing bulk scrap into angular particles, a microwave plasma-based refining platform called UniMelt, and a finishing stage that brings the material to the spherical form required for additive manufacturing. The resulting powders will be tested by military facilities against benchmarks established by conventionally sourced virgin metals.
The project also ventures into automation, with a proof-of-concept robotic sorting system designed to identify and classify incoming scrap without manual intervention, a step toward scaling the operation beyond the pilot phase. Cold spray experiments will further test whether the upcycled nickel and titanium powders can function as a repair medium, potentially allowing worn components to be restored rather than replaced.
“The U.S. Government has made it clear that to advance our defense readiness we cannot rely on geopolitically sensitive regions for the materials essential to our most advanced weapon systems,” said Frank Roberts, CEO of 6K Additive. “By upcycling domestic scrap from DoD stockpiles and maintenance centers, we are creating a circular, secure, and sustainable supply chain for the US defense sector. This Award enables us and the DoD to further identify end-of-life parts and scrap to convert back into high-value powder ultimately leading to strategic components for the military.”
Building a Supply Chain the U.S. Controls
In the past, the company has accumulated a portfolio of government support that signals sustained institutional confidence in its approach. A Defense Production Act grant contributed $23.4 million, a series of DLA programs have collectively added $12.4 million, and an Export-Import Bank loan facility of $27.4 million has been approved. A separate $1.8 million engagement focused on niobium and titanium scrap was awarded earlier in 2025.
Beyond 6K Additive, other manufacturers are drawing on the same federal push to onshore critical materials supply chains. IperionX secured a contract worth up to $47.1 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to build a fully integrated domestic titanium supply chain, from mineral extraction through to metal production. The funding covers two phases over two years, targeting both a critical minerals project in Tennessee and a titanium manufacturing campus in Virginia.
Separately, Amaero has been expanding U.S. production capacity for molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, and zirconium powders, installing new gas atomizers capable of producing over 800 metric tons annually to supply defense and aerospace platforms domestically.
All of these efforts reflect a common thread: that the powder supply chain for defense-critical metals must be owned on U.S. soil, from raw material through finished feedstock.
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Featured image shows 6K’s UniMelt microwave plasma process. Image via 6K Additive.
